America is living insanity. Guns are out of control in our society, and we are waiting for something to be done. These are the major issues – Our children are killing our children. Racism, antisemitism, and hate crimes are on the rise
Our youth are violent as they live in a violent culture. In reality and algorithms, teens are becoming robots working in isolation as they live with Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. These are their social influencers with no rules and regulations. And we, the people, live in fear, no matter our stage of life, work, income, neighborhood, or city. We are living afraid and blaming politicians and the government. They can put measures in place at best, but there will always be crazy, lonely, wild, evil, sick people in our midst. At best, the politicos can provide controls and structure. But a fool is a fool, hate is hate, and evil exists.
Shamefully, I tell you, I went to the grocery store recently, and as I saw young white men, I was sure to get behind them and observe. Another Back woman saw me make a backup move in the produce department, and she did the same. In about five minutes, five Black women were shopping with carts allowing white young men in front of us and overseeing them. We nodded at each other. Shameful. I was very limited in my purchases, trying to keep one hand free. The killings at the Tops Friendly Grocer in Buffalo, New York, were freshly engrained in our memory.
A New Reality…
Where are the lawmakers when we need them? We need new laws, and we need new members of Congress. Gun violence in this society is not a White or Black issue. Is it a democratic or republican issue? Is it a north or south, or city or a rural issue? No, it is an American issue.
We are not handling these issues with SOLUTIONS. Instead, we are appalled at the shootings that dominate the newscast cycle. As the news covers the shootings, we are sad and shocked as we ask how this could happen; now, the question is, how could this happen again. We interview the victim’s families, and we place blame.
The news coverage deflates us with the news and follows up later with the details. Then, finally, we’re given the shooter’s life facts, the victims’ names, and the funerals are covered. It’s one report after the other.
Politicos and local law enforcement give press talks addressing what happened and how the shootings could have been prevented. We look in hindsight. We compare the incidents as the newscasters sometimes ask stupid questions of the victim’s loved ones.
Gun control issues and the power and money of the National Rifle Association are discussed, yet WE DO NOTHING and return to normal.
The families suffer as they adjust to a new normal. However, they will never get over the painful loss of their loved ones. The parents will become the best advocate for new gun laws and may speak to others about loss, grief, and adjustment. We return to normal and do nothing until the next mass shooting occurs. A mass shooting is a killing of four or more. We even cry in our living rooms. We hold our children tighter. We tell those we love that we love them more. We think they killed at school, at the grocery store, at church. We squirm and take notice. Yet, WE DO NOTHING.
America needs to be outraged. Every member of Congress and senator should be publicly asked what they would do about gun control. Next question, do you accept money from the NRA?
They need to be identified. Then, voters need to make judgments.
Our Children Are Violent…
The children are violent and are entertained by violence. Today’s music and video games are violent and demonstrate killing. So, they are being taught violence as they curse, shoot, and demean with disregard for life. The word “fuck” is not a bad word anymore. Everyone uses it for self-expression, out loud on television. Well, fuck the guns.
And it seems that some of the young White men are being taught hatred, violence, and killing. What is this? Is it a White privilege, aggression, or craziness? They work solo. White young men are engaging in massacres. Why are they so damn angry? They are prepared to die for their sick cause, as they come not only armed but suited up with body armor from head to toe for protection. The security guard at the grocery store in Buffalo, New York, shot the shooter, but his armor protected him. Unfortunately, he killed the guard. Sometimes these killers are killed on the spot; occasionally, they commit suicide after their massacre.
Black boys are also violent, and multiple stereotypes face them. But there are no mass killings. Instead, their resumes include shooting and killing with one-on-one crimes or will cowardly shoot randomly in a crowd. They engage in street crimes, carjacking, theft, shoplifting, etc. But instantly, we began to profile the Black boys. They are poor, undereducated, poor parenting, single parent, jobless, etc. Many think outside forces supply the Black inner-city boys with guns. Where is the profile on the white boy killers? They usually come from two-parent homes, middle-class families, are educated, and have great opportunities in life. What makes them killers? Where is this study? White parents buy their sons guns and assault weapons for presents. What is the message here with such a gift?
So, what can we do? Let’s start by changing the gun laws. You should NOT be able to buy a gun until you are 25 years old. Assault weapons should be illegal. There is no need for a citizen to have a weapon designed for war. An assault weapon is a military weapon with an “intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine.” Too often, in these mass murder incidents, the shooter is better armed than the police officers who are called first responders.
Perhaps this is the reality of the shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The latest reports say that the police made an error by not going into the school immediately. Instead, they waited an hour, waiting for backup so they would have more gun power. The children, the little ones, call for help, telling the operators they are in room 112. The shooter outpowered the police who first arrived. First responders and police officers had handguns. The shooter had a war weapon.
The police officers live with fear, too, inspired by their training and oath to protect. The purchase of ammunition for any American citizen should be limited. These shooters have an excessive amount of ammo. It would help if you were only allowed a limited amount of ammo at a single purchase, just like limiting toilet paper during the onset of COVID or baby formula at its recent shortage. When items go on sale in the store, purchases are often limited to a customer. Guns should NOT be sold to civilians on the internet.
We are at a place in society where people, John Q Public, will buy firearms for protection. Parents are going to fight back. Teachers and principals are going to fight back; their jobs are dangerous. Do we want teachers and principals armed? And shamefully, we have to begin teaching children, our little innocent beautiful children, how to run and hide from a shooter in a classroom. Some schools have shooting drills just like fire drills. We are teaching children how to live in a war-like environment. This is realistic.
The massacre in Buffalo, New York, at the supermarket was by an 18-year-old White boy. He was hunting people. It was a racist attack on Black people, and it was planned and researched. The shooter knew what he was doing and was well prepared. Murder was his purpose and intent. He believed in the replacement theory, where Black people and Jewish people would replace White people. He was deranged, and he even shot his grandmother in the face before he went to the school to kill the children.
The murders in Uvalde, Texas, a southern town In Texas, are the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed at the school. The children were Latino. The husband of one of the teachers killed was so overwhelmed with grief that he died of a heart attack days later. The town has only two funeral homes, and Uvalde’s mayor will suggest the school be razed, so another child will never enter the building again. But the memories will never be torn down.
The killings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, were by a young male white supremacist, 21 years old. He killed people who were attending bible study. The police officers took him to a Burger King before taking him to the police station to press charges. He was placed on suicide watch.
Sandy Hook Elementary School killed 26 children in Newtown, Connecticut. The young killer took 26 children, mostly five years old. The students were Jewish. The school was razed to forget the crime site, but the parent’s pain is forever, knowing that all they did was send their child to school one day, never to return.
At the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, there was an antisemitic terrorist attack. Killed were eleven victims, and six were wounded. It was the deadliest attack ever on a Jewish community in the United States. It was a mass shooting.
Do you see a pattern here?
America is living in insanity. It must stop. Fuck the guns.
